Episode Details

Brandon Conti:
Our number one priority is the safety of all students, teachers, and staff.

Mark Nelson:
You know, you start watching that weather and you know when those days are coming and you don't sleep well that night. You usually just get up and get over to the school.

Nathan Morgan:
No slack time. You gotta watch the timing of the storm and the duration. The commute as well, so you need to be on top of all of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It's that time of year when rain, sleet, snow, and ice can create some slick combinations around our schools and buildings.

On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with custodians who are constantly working throughout the day and sometimes into the night to prevent slips, trips and falls from students, teachers, staff, and parents. Listen and find out how you can help.

We're here at West Jordan High School talking with two of our premier custodians about safety during the winter. Introduce yourselves and let's talk a little bit about how to stay safe.

Nathan Morgan:
Okay, I'm Nathan Morgan. I'm the head custodian over here at West Jordan High School.

Mark Nelson:
I'm Mark Nelson. I'm the head custodian at the district office.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I know that nobody works harder than custodians when the snow falls and starts to stick to the ground. And there are no contract hours when that happens. Whenever it hits, it hits. I know, especially at the district office as I talk with Mark on a regular basis, you're there at all hours. Tell us a little bit about what it's like to clear that snow when it hits hard.

Mark Nelson:
You know, you start watching that weather and you know when those days are coming and you don't sleep well that night. You usually just get up and get over to the school. The district office, we're over there by Jordan Landing and airport number two. So we get the drift wind coming across that airport. So yeah, you know you're going to have a job that morning, but you know we enjoy it. We want to make sure our staff when they show up to work, they don't have to worry about how do I get to the door.

You know, after 33 years of doing this, I love to hear those compliments and the people say thank you for getting us in the building this morning. And you know, we love it.

Anthony Godfrey:
You do a great job. Now tell me about a high school. Activity starts at the high school at 5 a.m. They're lifting weights at 5 a.m. So there's no slack time.

Nathan Morgan:
No slack time. You got to watch the timing of the storm and the duration and since the commute is well. So you need to be on top of all those. So sometimes you get here at 3 a.m. just so you can have it cleared for the athletic kids at 5 a.m.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Now the way my teenage son looks at it, he thinks, hey, the snow is still falling, I'm going to wait till all the snow has fallen. And that's a great stall tactic. But that's not how you work.

Nathan Morgan:
No.

Mark Nelson:
No, no, we show up so that our doors can be open. But if the snow just keeps dropping, we're out there as long as it takes. A lot of times we will clear a path if it's a super bad day. We ask everybody, to please use our path. Please don't walk through the foot of snow. Use th